We’re giving you brilliant news for all of you Bahrain-based startups, you have just gained a new accelerator because Kuwait-based Brilliant Lab is expanding to Bahrain! Their new office located behind the Bahrain Financial Harbour is the ideal place to work with a view, and just a brief walk away from getting all your legal work done at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism. If you’ve never heard of the accelerator, then let us give you a brief about them, as we sat down with the founder of Brilliant Lab.
Brilliant Lab is a tech-based startup accelerator that was established in Kuwait by founder Neda Aldihany. Brilliant Lab aims to strengthen and empower tech startups based in the GCC, by exposing them to the Silicon Valley tech world after completing the accelerator program in Kuwait.
Brilliant Lab has graduated over 50 startups from Kuwait, who have ambitions of expanding to the GCC market but aren’t sure how. Brilliant Lab decided to take initiative and expand to another GCC country (Bahrain), to allow for easier access across the markets.
That is why they specifically chose Bahrain as a strategic location within the Gulf, that is easily accessible to the South East market of Saudi Arabia, specifically Dammam and Khobar and beyond, including Kuwait. Setting up in Bahrain opens the gate to reach a market of 5-6 million people. The physical location of the Brilliant Lab office is also strategic because of its close proximity to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, giving them easy access to complete startups’ paperwork.
One of the biggest reasons why Brilliant Lab set up in Bahrain is because of its startup-friendly ecosystem. According to Neda, Bahrain is known for its efficient regulations around startups, and fast setup for startups who are aiming to launch in the Kingdom. Bahrain is also known for being the hub for technological sectors in the GCC, reaching a trading size of $1.5 Trillion.
Now that we know Brilliant Lab has launched in Bahrain, what are the programs they offer for Bahrain-based startups? The accelerator has two remarkable programs for startups that will empower and help them stand on their own two feet.
Brilliant Start
Brilliant Start targets early-stage startups with an MVP, so this program is ideal for founders who are in the first stages that want to place their footprint in the GCC, specifically Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. This program offers:
- An investment of up to $40,000
- 4-6 months of building the startups that will help them tackle, test, and penetrate the GCC market
- Assistance with the legal setup with Brilliant Lab’s legal advisor office
- 6 months of access to Brilliant Lab’s co-working space
Brilliant Scale
This is a program that is ideal for those who want to scale within the GCC market into Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. This program offers:
- Membership of 6 months to 1 year at Brilliant Lab’s co-working space
- Assistance with legal setup in Bahrain (CR, legal documents, etc.)
- Access to a network of local founders and global partnerships with the US
- Tools and mentors to further develop and grow your startup
- Scouting service with Brilliant Lab’s investment network
Brilliant Lab has expanded to Bahrain to reach the international market, and attract global startups to set up in Bahrain. Their biggest challenge currently is to reach international startups and offer them services to set up in Bahrain and expand to the GCC.
Neda’s advice for local startups is, “Evolve yourself in the market as much as you can, and work with the private sector because this is how you can learn how to advance your products, elevate your services, gain traction, and run for your next investment round.”
He also said, “Some of the most valuable things I have learned throughout my journey with the startups are: to be agile, to be flexible, and to be absolutely easy pivoting and changing directions.”
Neda hopes that Brilliant Lab expands to at least 25 countries, and have not less than $100 million in funds.
Brilliant Lab is very excited to be launching the $6 million startup fund that comes with a number of services that we mentioned above for Bahraini and global startups. The investment companies are currently from Kuwait, however, Brilliant Lab looks forward to working with an investment company in Bahrain.
To learn more about Brilliant Lab, visit their website here. You can also follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.